1996 timpte trailer brakes

Bought a 1996 timpte traler yesterday. It has new rear drums,pads ,and pods on the rear axel and I noticed the brakes are slow to release when you hit the supply line. The glad hands are hooked up right as far as I know, red to the right and blue on left as you facie the trailer. Does anyone know what the problem may be? It has the air ride and scales if that matters. Thanks.

Are you talking about when you first air up the trailer, or just after parking. If first airing up, you have to fill the air tanks, and air bags before brakes will release. If you are talking about having full air up and brakes are slow to release, you may have a bad air control valve on the trailer. You should never use the trailer brakes for short stops, such as emptying the hoppers. Just use your tractor brakes and leave the trailer brakes aired up.

Just after stopping to unload.

Also I have a junk trailer...would the control valve be the same offf an 80 model?

There could be several reason for the slow release.

1) The quick release valve may not be working. Then the air will release slowly. Shut the engine off. The put it in gear so it will not roll. Then have some one work the treadle/foot valve. You should hear the quick release valve dump the air fast when the brakes are let off. You need to be back by the trailer because the truck's quick release will make enough noise that you can't hear if the trailer one is working or not.

2) You could have a mechanical problem. Sticking cam arms can cause a slow release issue too. I just had this on our Red River belt trailer. We installed complete new brake system. Cam arms, cam arm bearings, slack adjusters, new shoes and drums. So everything was brand new. The front axle would slow release. The brakes did not get hot but if you used the trailer brakes to hold yourself while being loaded they would release slow enought that you would not move on an incline.

They drove me nuts. I check all the air system out several times. I even switched the quick release valves off another trailer that worked fine. Still zero difference. I finally removed the drums and brakes. The cam arm moved stiff. It would move with just light pressure but the return springs would not make it return fast. The cam bearings are a plastic bushing in a tapered housing. When you would tighten the mounting bolts up all the way they would bind the cam arm. I put small washers between the housings. So you could tighten the mounting bolts. Everything worked fine after that. It cost me a set of brake shoes wearing out from slow release.

I also had one bind from being over greased. It had these oring type seals in the cam arms. If you greased it until you saw grease come out it would blow the orings out of the bushings. Then they would bind the cam arm.

3) Your truck's control valve maybe still holding low pressure too long on the trailer brake lines after you release the brakes. This will cause the trailer's quick release valve not to work. It has to have the control line pressure drop to zero before it will dump. Had one on the trucks do this last winter. You could still feel the brakes holding for a little while after you released the brake pedal. Made driving it on snow/ice difficult/dangerous. I had to replace the truck treadle valve. Make sure you are using the foot pedal when you check the quick release valve on the trailer. The hand valve may work and the treadle/foot valve not.

PULL THE CLEVIS PINS! On the chamber to slack I will just
about bet the farm that they are stuck in the slack adjuster.
Very easy to check. All you need I a pair of vise grips. After
the air is up try to move the pins with the vise grips they
should move pretty easy! I have to do this on our farm
trailers after they sit awhile.

Been gone all day but will go through it in the morning and check those things mentioned. Thanks for the help guys. I'll let you know what we find.

If the trailer was parked for a couple of months
not hooked to a tractor the glad hands may have got
bug eggsacks or webs of some sort in them mine did.

Been busy picking. We found the distribution valve from the tank to the 4 pods was gummed up. It was allowing the fronts to release but not the rears. We replaced it and everything works well. Thanks for the input all.